Martinex1: Earlier in the week, we ranked the "Big Six," the iconic heroes from the Avengers and JLA (see Monday's post). Now I want to focus on the next wave. There are characters in those teams that are nearly indispensable when discussing the groups' histories.
So today, let's rank and file the "Little Six," the core team members just behind Captain America, Batman, Superman, and the rest. I've narrowed the list down to three long term heroes from DC and Marvel: Hawkeye, Green Lantern, Vision, Flash, Aquaman, and Yellowjacket (or any of Hank Pym's identities if you prefer)!
And don't fret that I have no female characters on this list. I have a special
Rank and File just in the wings to highlight the greater gender! I couldn't deny the significant contribution of today's heroes, and found that there were many more I wanted to discuss, so watch for that soon.
As for this round, here are my rankings:
1. Yellowjacket (Hank Pym / Giant Man / Goliath): The Avengers would not be the same without Hank hanging around - even intermittently. Despite the character's flaws that were significantly increased during the Bronze Age, I had always liked Hank's early involvement, powerset, and costumes. That still carries through for me.
2. Hawkeye: Likewise Clint was an important part of the early Avengers with his sarcasm and attitude. He was a reformed villain and that aspect has always been part of the Avengers' approach and milieu. I think Hawkeye was a model for many characters to come later - a hero at heart but not perfect by any means. He was arrogant, sometimes abrasive, sometimes hilarious; he was the heart of the team for so long and a leader despite himself. With limited abilities and no real power, I still enjoy his exploits.
3. Flash: When we previously reviewed the Big Six, it struck me that out of all of the DC heroes I collected the most solo comics of the Flash - even more than Batman or Superman. He has a great rogues gallery and even though his power is only speed, he uses it in fascinating and inventive ways. I definitely prefer the Wally West version over the Barry Allen Flash - much of that has to do with the Mark Waid penned issues. The Flash started the Silver Age and I still enjoy the old covers and craziness.
4. Green Lantern: Like the above, I collected more Green Lantern than the Trinity characters. I did think Hal Jordan was a bit of a bore in most situations. And I wanted his space adventures to be better than they were. It would have been amazing if somebody like Jim Starlin ever took a shot at the character. But I liked some arcs of the series quite a bit. His power often acted as deus ex machina, but there was something about Oa, the Guardians, the Corp, and the rest of the world created around Hal that I enjoyed.
5. Vision: This may be a shock as I really love the character, but I struggled to rank him higher. I find that all the things I enjoy about the Vision happened between his first appearance and about issue 110 of the Avengers. Unlike others that visit this site, I missed the first run of the Englehart years and in retrospect those did not sit as well with me when I returned to them. Many of the stories printed after that period starring the Vision left me flat. I feel like most of the true character development was done much earlier. And I think that the marriage to the Scarlet Witch and his eventual deconstruction was bungled. I have not read his most recent series at all.
6. Aquaman: I suspect that many of our visitors today will rank Aquaman low on this poll. I just don't know that much about him. And I greatly prefer his counterpart Namor. But it is probably ignorance that drives this decision, as many of his books' art from the late Silver and early Bronze ages looks great.
So now it is back to you. What do you have to say about these second tier heroes from the powerhouse teams?
